Expect tips galore at Central Florida Landscape & Garden Fair

Master Gardener Lynn Slauter works in the orchid house on Tuesday,… (Tom Benitez, Orlando Sentinel )

May 1, 2014|By Elira Benavari, Correspondent

TAVARES — Offering tips for growing just about anything under the sun, this weekend's Central Florida Landscape & Garden Fair will help area residents figure out how to make better use of open space.

The free garden event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday will feature expert guest speakers focusing on a variety of garden and landscape topics including native plants, edible plants, geocaching and more both days. Gardening exhibitors specializing in landscaping, gardening, irrigation, fertilizer and composting also will be on hand to answer questions and sell their products. Master gardeners will be stationed at six garden spots to answer gardening questions.

"The stations selected for this year's festival are some of the most popular in the garden," said Brooke Moffis, residential horticultural agent for the Lake County Extension Service.

The third-annual fair will take place at the Lake County Agricultural Center, 1951 Woodlea Road.

Food vendors with Greek favorites and barbecue will satisfy hungry appetites and children's activities will include a seed-necklace craft area and a garden passport that youngsters can use to visit six gardening spots.

After visiting each garden, they can exchange the completed passport for a free meal voucher from Chick-fil-A in Mount Dora. Children up to 16 will have access to all areas of the garden including the children's garden, which features a butterfly greenhouse, a five-senses garden and a mother-goose maze.

"We want to inspire youth to be good stewards of the land and want to get them in touch with nature," Moffis said.

Since 1994, Discovery Gardens has been nestled on more than 4 acres behind the ag center and features 20 themed gardens, including a string of lush courtyards and six specially designed children's gardens.

Visitors will get ideas as they stroll through the tropical-shade garden featuring bromeliads, gingers, palms and bird of paradise. There also are cottage, oriental and rose gardens. The hydroponics area is a plus for food growers. The butterfly house, with live butterflies and nectar plants, is also popular.

On Saturday, Teresa Watkins, a recognized leader on "environmentally friendly" landscapes, will give a talk at 10 a.m. Steve Earls will demonstrate square-foot gardening at 11 a.m. Tom MacCubbin will speak on with edible landscapes at 1 p.m. Master gardener Anne Keller will teach a class on geocaching at 2:30 p.m. and Juanita Popenoe, Lake County cooperative extension service director, will speak about alternative fruit crops at 3 p.m.

On Sunday, Karina Veaudry will speak about native plants at 11 a.m. Moffis will speak at 1:30 p.m. on hot plants that have cool looks. Christina Miller, Mount Dora water-conservation specialist, will speak about how to save rainwater in barrels that may be used to water plants both days.